Post-Impressionist Exhibit @ The de Young

Paul CÉZANNE
Still-life with onions, 1896-98


I knew I would already be in Northern California for Thanksgiving with my family, so I decided to come a weekend early to get in the Elle Decor Showhouse and the Post-Impressionist exhibit at the de Young. The Post-Impressionist masterpieces come from the Musée d’Orsay in Paris and the de Young is the only museum in North America to host the exhibition. Posting photos of my favorite works really doesn't do them justice, so if you have the chance to visit the exhibit from now until January 18, 2011, I would highly recommend it.

My biggest tip for visiting would be to buy your tickets in advance here, and if at all possible, book the first tour of the day, so that there are less people in the gallery when you are trying to view. It was crowded on Saturday (and the worker in the gift shop said it was slow day), so it took a little while to get up to the paintings, and then when we did, we felt a little rushed because you don't want to keep everyone behind you waiting for too long. I really wished I had more time because I really would have liked to look at some of these pieces a little bit longer. Even still, it was a great exhibit. Here were some of my favorites:


Maurice DENIS
Panel for girl's bedroom: October evening, 1891


Henri de TOULOUSE-LAUTREC
The clown Cha-I-Kao, 1895


Redhead (Bathing), 1889


Vincent VAN GOGH
Portrait of the artist, 1887



The poet, 1888

Émile BERNARD
Portrait of my sister, 1888


Breton women with umbrellas, 1892


I snagged these photos from National Gallery of Australia website which hosted the exhibit earlier this year. The site lists every piece in the collection and is a great place to read more information on each of the paintings.

Elle Decor Showhouse Virtual Tour

Any weekend I spend in San Francisco is a good weekend. Even when my car window got shattered after sitting out on the street Saturday night, we just swept the glass off my seat and enjoyed a very brisk drive over to the Elle Decor Showhouse.

I didn't bother taking photos because I knew Elle Decor already posted a 360 degree virtual tour online. It's not quite as good as being there in person, but if you weren't able to make it, it's definitely the next best thing. If you click on the pink dots in each room, it will tell you the specs for the item. Learning the resources that certain designers use is one of the best parts of visiting a showhouse for me. I love knowing whether it's a $30,000 antique chandelier, or a bargain from Pottery Barn.

The St. Francis Wood neighborhood where the house was located is beautiful, and I really liked that Elle Decor mostly chose designers who haven't been overly published, but still have amazing style. I was like a giddy school girl the whole tour and loved every minute.

Elle Decor Showhouse

November just keeps getting better. As if my birthday, Thanksgiving, and my sister's ever present pumpkin desserts weren't enough, you can also go visit the Elle Decor Showhouse in San Francisco. It'll be open for viewing weekends in November from the 5 - 21. Check out the participating designers here, and purchase your tickets here.


The above photo is the sketch of Grant K. Gibson's children's room. I can't wait to see the hand painted pink wallpaper in person (see below). Visit his blog for more photos and info on the design process and installation. Fabulous.

Grant Gibson

I "follow" several blogs, but I generally don't log in and check the blogs I follow, I still just type in the web address when I want to check in with any one of my favorite bloggers. But today my list of blogs that I "follow" actually caught my attention.

I give you the scoop on Grant K. Gibson's stoop (like how I rhymed that?). It's San Franciscan fall perfection.

San Francisco Decorator Showcase 2010

Exterior. Home designed by Albert Farr and commissioned by Elsa Guggenhime in 1929.
Located at 2450 Washington Street.

Last Tuesday Kelli and I were able to visit the San Francisco design showhouse and it was fantastic! The rooms were beautiful and I loved collecting so many great resources after seeing everything in person. There were some really great designers featured, here is what I was able to capture on camera.

{Guest Quarters}
Wick Design
www.wickdesign.com



{Room for Thought}
Cecilie Starin Design Inc.
www.ceciliestarin.com


{Horologist's Laboratory}
Brian Dittmar Design, Inc.
www.briandittmardesign.com
The lovely Kelli striking a pose...


{Hall of Wisdom and Enlightenment}
Coup D'etat Design Inc.
www.coupdetatdesigninc.com


{European Hotel Room}
Michael Burg Interiors
www.michaelburginteriors.com

{Dining Room}
Tucker & Marks, Inc.
www.tuckerandmarks.com



I was obsessed with both of these rugs. The reddish is an antique from Nazmiyal Collection and the yellow is a contemporary rug from Tony Kitz.


{Cozy Retreat}
Philpotts & Associates, Inc.
www.philpotts.net

{Children's Playroom}
Siol
www.siolstudios.com
I loved this playroom and I'm not sure why I didn't take more photos in here. There was a cut out in the wall that made a really cool little cocoon room, so Kelli and I made ourselves at home...